The present invention relates to the general subject matter of maintaining artificial aquatic systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for skimming and filtering or purifying the water in an aquatic life support system such as an ornamental pond.
Ornamental pools, ponds, and similar water-filled structures are familiar fixtures in many homes and businesses. These bodies of water provide a pleasant environment for the occupants of the adjacent structure and, in some cases, create habitats for birds, small mammals, and various reptiles and amphibians. However, because these bodies of water are closed systems, some mechanism must be established to keep the water that is contained therein from becoming fouled and stagnant.
One such apparatus that is frequently found used in connection with captive pools is a an in-ground skimmer. Broadly speaking, a skimmer is designed to draw surface water from an adjacent body of water into its interior where it can be filtered to remove its larger debris before that same water is returned to the source from which it was drawn or to a down-stream filter as discussed hereinafter. The filtering function of the skimmer typically takes the form of passing the indrawn water through a coarse net or basket to catch the largest pool contaminants, such as leaves, twigs, and the like. It is customary to use a submersible pump to draw water into the skimmer.
It is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art that skimmers of the sort that are typically used in an ornamental ponds are designed to be installed outside of the pond perimeter. In a typical arrangement, an externally situated skimmer will be buried in the ground adjacent to the pond with the skimmer mouth at the same level as the expected water level. The word xe2x80x9cexpectedxe2x80x9d was used in the previous sentence in order to emphasize the fact that the water level in these sorts of ponds is usually not static and might fluctuate up and down for any number of reasons, among which are draught, evaporation, rainfall, leaks (in the pool liner or equipment), and many other factors. Therein lies a problem with conventional skimmer/pond arrangement. When the water level falls below the level of the mouth of the skimmer, the submersible pump therein will continue to pump water out of the enclosure with no concomitant replacement by in-flowing liquid. This has two obvious deleterious effects.
First, absent a continuous source of pond water the pump may empty the skimmer interior, thereby exhausting its source of fluid which can cause the pump to cavitate, which can possibly damage the pump. In such a circumstancexe2x80x94and assuming that operating the pump in the absence of fluid has not damaged it to the point of inoperabilityxe2x80x94it may be necessary to prime the pump before it can be made operable again, which is, at minimum, an inconvenience.
A second problem that may be faced when the water level drops is that the skimmer enclosure after being emptied of water tends to float upward out of the ground. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the shape of prior art skimmers is at least partially responsible for this problem, as the conventional skimmer is a bucket-like or box-like structure made of plastic and is typically tapered inwardly toward its base, which shape is a convenience for purposes of manufacture, transportation, and storage. As might be expected, a generally smooth outer surface coupled with an inwardly tapered lower terminus tends to make conventional skimmers susceptible to floating when they are emptied of water.
The conventional arrangement, i.e., one where the skimmer is placed outside of the pool, gives rise to additional problems. For example, it is customary to line artificial ponds with a thin plastic or rubber pond liner to separate the impounded water from the earth beneath, thereby improving water clarity and decreasing water loss through the contact with the ground. Of course, this liner must somehow be brought up to the mouth of the skimmer and sealed thereto. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, this seal between the liner and the skimmer is subject to failure through poor installation, subsequent failure of the sealing adhesive due to exposure to sunlight or weather extremes, movement of the skimmer within its cavity in the ground, and many other possible factors As a consequence, water leaks through an imperfect seal between the skimmer and the pond liner are a frequent source of water loss and resultant aggravation to the owner.
Additionally, in larger pools it is often desirable to include a bottom drain of some sort, a bottom drain being a draining orifice that is preferably positioned near the deepest point of the pool. A bottom drain is useful for many purposes including draining the pool and cleaning. Of course, this drain must penetrate the pond liner which can become problematic if it begins to leak.
Finally, one of the principle functions of the skimmer is to remove large debris such as leaves from the surface of the pond water. However, matter of this sort is prone to cover the available filtering surface within the skimmer, thereby retarding the passage of water therethrough. A typical skimmer utilizes a catch basin in the form of a net that hangs or is positioned on a lip or ledge of the skimmer mouth as an initial filtering mechanism. However, nets can be difficult to remove and clean and, because of their lack of rigidity, are prone to becoming tangled or twisted. Of course, when debris clog the net water will somehow find a path that avoids the net/clogs and will carry contaminants along with it into the filtering media and submersible pump. Further, nylon nets, which are conventionally used as filters, can be difficult to clean as debris tend to catch in its fibers.
Another device that is frequently used in an ornamental pond setting is the water filter (which may be configured in the form of a small waterfall in some circumstances). The pond filter takes water from the pond and subjects it to a filtering process before returning it to the pond from whence the water was drawn. Preferably, the filter will be outfitted with filtering media (such as lava rocks, coarse nylon mesh filter mats, etc.) and water will be passed through the filtering media before it is returned to the pond. Additionally, the filter may be adapted to return water to the pond in the form of a waterfall, which waterfall has both aesthetic as well as functional (e.g., aerating the pond water) value.
However, these sorts of filters are subject to a number of problems. First, these devices have heretofore not provided sufficient sedimentation opportunities for the pond water. That is, water that is drawn into the filter will usually contain a variety of heavier waste particles (e.g., fish waste, uneaten fish food, leaves, etc.) that tend to clog the filter media when they are entrapped thereby, which necessitates cleaning the media earlier than might otherwise be desired. Each time such a filter is cleaned, however, the bio-activity that is taking place within the media is placed at risk. However, if a proper sedimentation environment were present within the filter, i.e., if the flow of water therethrough were slowed to the point where these sorts of heavier waste particles were allowed to settle to the bottom of the filter before the water reached the filtering media, the filtering media would need to be cleaned less often.
Finally, the problems associated with integrating the waterfall/filter with the body of water are well known. For example, since the filter conventionally sits outside of the pond it must somehow be attached to the pond liner in a way such that water is not leaked around the periphery of the liner. Conventionally, the pond liner is brought up to and attached to the filter beneath its xe2x80x9csnoutxe2x80x9d through some combination of adhesives and mechanical fasteners, including screws, bolts, etc, which mechanical fasteners are usually designed to pierce the liner. However, that arrangement is almost universally subject to leaks for a variety of reasons that are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Heretofore, as is well known in the ornamental ponds arts, there has been a need for an invention to address and solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, as was recognized by the present inventor, that there exists, and has existed for some time, a very real need for a device that would address and solve the above-described problems.
Before proceeding to a description of the present invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferred embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.
There is provided hereinafter a new skimmer apparatus and a new filter mechanism for use in ornamental ponds and the like. According to a first preferred embodiment there is provided a skimmer apparatus which has an enclosing container with a lower terminus that has a perimeter which is larger than that of the upper terminus. In more particular, the instant in-ground skimmer apparatus is dimensioned contrary to the conventional wisdom in that it has a base that is outwardly flared. This design makes it possible to xe2x80x9cwedgexe2x80x9d the skimmer down into the earth or pool, and substantially reduces or eliminates the risk that the skimmer will float upward if it is emptied of water.
According to another preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is a provided a skimmer which is suitable for placement within the pond itself. The preferred embodiment has at least one aperture or passage through the lower portion of its body, which aperture allows water from deeper in the pool to directly enter the skimmer body. This innovation improves circulation of water near the bottom of the pond, thereby improving temperature consistency and aeration throughout that body of water.
According to a further aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a skimmer which contains an internal partition, wherein the partition contains apertures only at its bottom. That is, the instant partition bifurcates the interior of the skimmer in to two regions: one which contains a submersible pump and the other which contains a basket/strainer. However, the partition that bifurcates the interior of the skimmer has a plurality of apertures only at its lower end, which causes water that is pulled into the skimmer by the pump to be drawn downward and through the straining basket (or net, etc.) in such a way that the basket is less likely to be completely blocked by the debris that inevitably accumulate therein.
According to still another preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a filter which includes a unique mechanical method of affixing the pond liner to it. In more particular, the instant preferred embodiment includes a spline and grove combination to firmly attach a pond liner to the snout or outsource of the filter under its snout.
According to still a further preferred aspect of the instant invention, there is provided a pond filter which contains a true sedimentation chamber within the bottom portion thereof. That is, in a preferred embodiment water is brought into the bottom of the filter and released therein in a matter that creates a minimum of turbulence, thereby promoting the settling of heavier matter in the water to the bottom of the filter. Additionally, this embodiment will additionally contain a backwash port for removal of water from the bottom of the filter.
According to still another preferred embodiment, there is provided a skimmer apparatus with a snout that is adjustable as to width. That is, the preferred embodiment of the instant skimmer has a snout which can effectively widened by removing a portion of its terminus.
The foregoing has outlined in broad terms the more important features of the invention disclosed herein so that the detailed description that follows may be more clearly understood, and so that the contribution of the instant inventor to the art may be better appreciated. The instant invention is not to be limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various other ways not specifically enumerated herein. Additionally, the disclosure that follows is intended to apply to all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting, unless the specification specifically so limits the invention. Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon examining the accompanying drawings and upon reading the following description of the preferred embodiments.